Take a mom of 3, stir in 4 vegan cookbooks, add a rounded cup of staying at home, and mix with a hefty pinch of recipe testing!

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Update on Recipe Names

Well, I was going to post this yesterday, but as all of you know Blogger was wonky for much of the day. So, let's get to it...

In recent months I have asked for help naming some recipes:

I posted about these Peanut Butter Chocolate cookies before, and asked for help with the name. I threw about some of the suggestions that were given, and the name chosen was... "You Got Peanut Butter in my Chocolate" Cookies. Thanks to Chris for this one! A long name, I know... but come on, it's a great one! So many people remember that Reese's commercial (well, except for you very youngin's)!

There were a couple of other recipes too...

This guacamole with kelp granules, posted back in April. The new name is Guacamole con Alga Marina, offered up by Sweetpotatopatti. The name translates literally to "guacamole with seaweed". I must confess, I love this because it makes me sound far more sophisticated than I really am. :)

Finally, we have Gluten-Be-Gone Chocolate Chip Cookies. I kept the name on this one. Many of you liked it from the original post, and I can use it for other recipes that I "de-gluten"!

This no-gluten theme got me thinking about including a Gluten-Buster note or icon in the new book. Anyhow, it will be a fun tool that I can use in sidebars and elsewhere to instruct people on how to 'bust that gluten' out of the recipe.

Of course these names are subject to change once my manuscript is in the hands of my publisher. Usually recipe names hold unless they really want to change it for some reason, or if I have to reorder recipes for page layout and thereby rename recipes to fit in alphabetically.

Hope you like 'em, and there will be other recipes to come that need a name... if you're game!

i love playing the name game! hey, i had some friends over last night & they ooohed & ahhhhed tremendously over your creamy hummus & cannellini yam hummus ~ it was a hummus extravaganza! and, after hearing the podcast, i had to try the coconut lime cookies ~ wowza! those are amazing.

Hey Vicki! Sounds like a fun night!! Thanks - wowza works for me! :) When I was testing those cookies, I had a tough time getting them eaten - had to give a lot of them away because my husband, who usually devours most of the sweets, doesn't like coconut much. My sister's family loved them though, so those and the coconut squares went straight to them!!

Sweetpotatopatti, it's a cool name, so thanks for suggesting it. I'm sure I'll have many more recipes to name because, well, sometimes I suck at it! :)

Thank you Leslie... now, have I mentioned that these cookies only take about 10 minutes to bake?? Only 10 - that's like a gentle way to break in your oven again... :) jk, I know it's off limits for a while!!

Hi Chris! Well, I think a lot of people remember that commercial. Carrie mentioned she also had it come to mind when she saw the cookies, so it was a great suggestion, thanks!

I know I WILL not be able to resist that guacamole when your book comes out! I LOVE guacamole, but havent had it in months because it's hard to find any vegan things at mexican resturants here. : ( That's one thing I dont like about where I live: There's no vegan resturants close to us. So whenever we eat out, it can get really stressful!

Savanna, guacamole is SUPER easy to make if you want to do so yourself. Simply mash a couple of ripe avocados, then add a few pinches of sea salt and a few good squeezes of lemon or lime juice. Avocados vary in size, so just adjust salt;lime/lemon juice to taste. This is the most basic kind of guacamole. You can add chopped cilantro if you like it, chopped tomatoes, minced garlic or onions (though I don't like garlic or onions in my guac), cumin if you like... give it a try - it's simple!!

Thank you Cindy! :)

Thanks Harmonia, I like using the gluten buster icon too - hopefully my publisher will!! I can't believe you need to order in vegan worcestershire - I can even get it in our large grocery store - in the health food area. That's a nuisance!! Oh well... on to the sweet potatoes. The only thing I use my microwave for is to soften ice-cream!!! Seriously, I rarely use it. Sure, you can nuke the tater, but it will taste FAR better baked. Even for this dip. The baking caramelizes the flavors and it tastes roasted and fabulous. So easy, just turn your oven on about 400, give the potato(es) a quick wash, then pop them on the rack or a baking pan and bake till soft, about an hour or so depending on the size. You can do this first thing in the morning while you are getting breakfast, showering, etc. Then, it's ready for you later in the day to make the hummus. :) Or, you can nuke, but I have NO idea how long... go for the baking Harmonia!!

Nice!!! I totally remember that peanut butter/chocolate Reese's commercial... The cookies look sooooooo good, Dreena! Nice to have the gluten-free items as well. I know peeps with celiac disease and those will be groovy for 'em!